The Constitution
nondelegation doctrine
The principle that Congress may not hand its legislative power to agencies. In practice courts require only an intelligible principle guiding the agency.
In full
The Supreme Court has struck down statutes on nondelegation grounds only twice, both in 1935, and has since upheld very broad delegations. Several Justices have signaled interest in reviving a stricter doctrine, and the major questions doctrine does related work by demanding clear authorization for sweeping agency claims.
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.